You may have noticed the topic of ‘donor milk’ pop up in your news feed while scrolling through your socials. If you are yet to give birth to your first baby, or you are not familiar with contemporary milk sharing practices, you might find the whole concept a bit…weird. And you could be forgiven for thinking that way, as there is a certain degree of stigma attached to human milk donation. This is mainly due to the fact that we exist in culture which has normalised animal milk consumption, the use of infant formal, and the sexualisation of women’s breasts.
The Official Boobie Bikkies® Blog
A mother asks, ‘My son is 4 weeks old and has been breastfed and also ‘topped up’ with formula since he was a week old. He is now almost a kilo above his birth weight and appears very healthy, so I would like to breast feed exclusively. Is it possible to wean him off the formula?’
Omega-3 fatty acids are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that are broken down into two categories: DHA and EPA. Both DHA and EPA offer their own benefits and are especially essential for fetal growth and development during pregnancy and perinatal wellbeing. Here, dietician, Tammy Mond explains why Omega 3 Fatty acids are important for mother and baby and sources of these.
Fortunately, due to the immunity boosting factors in your breast-milk, your breastfed baby will usually be healthy and well. However, if your baby does get sick, for instance with a cold or ear infection, this may affect his feeding.
Your baby is irritable, grizzly, hates lying on his back, spits up or vomits often, has hiccups constantly and he is a nightmare to feed: he starts to feed voraciously, then he wriggles, squirms and ‘throws’ himself off the breast or when he isn’t doing this, he wants to be permanently attached to your breast.
After those big fat super pads and mesh undies that are a necessary postnatal ‘thing’, discovering that breastfeeding can delay the return of your periods is a welcome bonus.
This period free time though, varies among individual women. Most mothers who continue to breastfeed will resume periods between nine and eighteen months after birth. However, while some lucky ladies can go a year or more without a glimpse of Aunty Flo, others can find her visiting within just a few weeks.
While it’s an absolutely primal response to worry that your baby is getting enough milk – after all there are no markers on your breasts telling you ‘full’ or ‘empty’ – there are some reliable signs that your baby is getting enough milk. So, instead of worrying or allowing undermining comments about your milk supply create self-doubt, here is a checklist to help you believe in your boobs:
Breastfeeding mothers don’t get out of bed in the morning and think, now where can I flaunt my breasts today? Most mothers are so overwhelmed with sleep deprivation and the responsibility of meeting their babies’ needs, they don’t have the energy to plan how to get their boobs out to scare small children or shame mothers who aren’t breastfeeding.
Whatever the reasons for offering bottles, there are gentle ways to do this that won’t compromise either your own or your baby’s breastfeeding experience. For instance, some babies will find the fast flow of a bottle much easer than breastfeeding so will refuse the breast – this can be heart breaking for you. So let’s discuss how you can offer your baby a bottle respectfully, without stress or risking your breastfeeding experience.
There is evidence that allowing babies to feed according to their own appetite, rather than imposing rigid feeding schedules, is more compatible with the biology of mothers and babies. Although breastfeeding according to a schedule may seem to work at first, many women who use strict feeding schedules in the early weeks find that their milk supply dwindles and their baby may be weaned by about three months.
Categories
Recent Posts
-
-
Weaning From Top-Ups to Exclusively Breastfeeding
Sep 10, 2019 -
-
-
Why Omega 3 Fatty Acids Matter For Baby And Mum
Aug 18, 2019
- Testimonials
- Get your free eBook
- Get your free sample!
